Justifying the Female Villain

I stumbled through my college career. After the better part of six years, I began my work on my senior thesis. I undertook the easiest thesis I could think for myself to do: analyze a television show. My advisor’s academic expertise was gender studies. As a fan of Joss Whedon, I knew of Joss Whedon’s reputation for feminist characters and decided to use my thesis to sing Whedon’s praises.

Thus, I began my work on “Careful Jayne, You’ll Scare the Women: An Analysis of Gender Representations in the Television Show, Firefly”. I watched Firefly enough that I’m still not eager to see it again. Halfway through the semester, I just wanted to watch anything else.

There really isn’t any point in denying that Dwayne The Rock Johnson is the biggest movie star in Hollywood right now, but he might also be the best. Nobody, except early Will Smith, can star in, sell, and market a movie the way he can. His power to entertain audiences with ridiculous premises is undeniable. Rampage is stupid, big, and insane, but it’s also obnoxiously entertaining and a joy to watch.

THE FILM

(This film portion was written by Dan Moran)

There are several things about Justice League that are good. I think the cast is terrific. Gal Gadot, Ben Affleck, Jason Momoa, and Ezra Miller are great in their roles. They each have a character moment (earned or not) that makes me interested in seeing their next solo adventure. DC/WB has put some talented filmmakers in charge of the next slate of movies. Justin Lin doing Aquaman sounds great, Patty Jenkins taking Wonder Woman on her next adventure, and Matt Reeves writing and directing The Batman. These are world-class filmmakers who have a great actor in the title role and hopefully that leads to some great story telling. I have no idea who is directing The Flash but I did enjoy him as the comic relief character in Justice League and would like to see if he is more than that in the future. Even Henry Cavill’s “new” Superman was delightful as he is reborn in this film and is no longer a whiney douchebag with terrible parents. Man of Steel 2 is actually on my radar now! But those are the nicest things I can say about Justice League. I loved the cast and I look forward to their solo adventures because having them all together in whatever Justice League was/is/supposed to be was a horrific insult to the fans of DC and moviegoers in general.

There is a new animated film coming out called ‘Bilal: A New Breed of Hero‘, which is about a young boy who is abducted into slavery, but escapes and becomes a badass warrior. The film originally premiered at Cannes all the way back in 2015 and won Best Inspiring Movie. Since then, it’s won other awards at other film festivals across the globe. Now, it’s finally opening in the states in theaters on February 2nd, 2018. There are some good voice actors attached to this movie as well. More info below.Read the rest of this entry »

There are several things about Justice League that are good. I think the cast is terrific. Gal Gadot, Ben Affleck, Jason Momoa, and Ezra Miller are great in their roles. They each have a character moment (earned or not) that makes me interested in seeing their next solo adventure. DC/WB has put some talented filmmakers in charge of the next slate of movies. Justin Lin doing Aquaman sounds great, Patty Jenkins taking Wonder Woman on her next adventure, and Matt Reeves writing and directing The Batman. These are world-class filmmakers who have a great actor in the title role and hopefully that leads to some great story telling. I have no idea who is directing The Flash but I did enjoy him as the comic relief character in Justice League and would like to see if he is more than that in the future. Even Henry Cavill’s “new” Superman was delightful as he is reborn in this film and is no longer a whiney douchebag with terrible parents. Man of Steel 2 is actually on my radar now! But those are the nicest things I can say about Justice League. I loved the cast and I look forward to their solo adventures because having them all together in whatever Justice League was/is/supposed to be was a horrific insult to the fans of DC and moviegoers in general.

Netflix has jumped from small-screen and so-so feature film debuts to big-budget film exclusivity. I’m not saying Netflix wasn’t on their A-game before, but being the sole place to find the new Adam Sandler movie is a little different than being the only outlet to carry the new Will Smith (‘Collateral Beauty‘) action flick, and that’s exactly who they are now with the debut of ‘Bright‘.

Based on Valérian et Laureline, a French comic book spinoff series from another French comic series, Pilote, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets explodes in radiant color and abundance onto theater screens. The crime fighting agents, Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne), first appeared in Pilote in 1967. The creators of the Valérian et Laureline, Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières have worked closely with Luc Besson to bring this world to life. Read the rest of this entry »

The cat is out of the bag. The next big movie in the DC Cinematic Universe will be Shazam!, which is a story about a boy who transforms into the mightiest mortal on Earth. Filming should begin at the start of 2018 and will release the following year. They even have a director now, which is David F. Sandberg – a horror filmmaker. Sandberg made Lights Out and the upcoming Annabelle: Creation, according to THR. That’s pretty much it. Now he’s getting a big comic book franchise. It’s exciting for sure and judging by Lights Out, I’m sure he’s more than capable.

D23 gave us some news today that will have all the live-action fans among us cheering. Disney has officially found their three main leads for the live-action ‘Aladdin‘! Mena Massoud (TV series ‘Jack Ryan‘) will be taking on the titular role of Aladdin, Naomi Scott (‘Power Rangers‘) will play Princess Jasmine, and Will Smith (‘Suicide Squad‘)will be giving life to the Genie.

The #1 action film in the world, ‘The Fate of the Furious‘, goes full-throttle on Digital HD on June 27, 2017, and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™, DVD and On Demand on July 11, 2017, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The latest exhilarating installment of the nitro-fueled blockbuster action franchise features a gripping new storyline, the most outrageous collection of vehicles yet, and an all-star cast of fan favorites and series newcomers. From the shores of Cuba and the streets of New York City to the icy plains off the arctic Barents Sea, the close-knit crew criss-crosses the globe to stop an anarchist from unleashing world chaos — and to bring home the man who made them a family. With more than an hour of never-before-seen bonus features and an Extended Director’s Cut, ‘The Fate of the Furious‘ will be the crowning glory of every fan’s collection.

The Lego Batman Movie or Deadpool for Families.

When it was released in 2014, The Lego Movie shocked me with how great it was. It was hilarious, had a brilliant concept, and a big reveal that was executed perfectly. It is also one of the few non-Disney/Pixar movies to have a ton of heart. Since that time I’ve seen some Lego Frozen shorts on Disney Channel and some Star Wars Lego stuff thanks to my kids and the humor is pretty top notch. The Lego Batman Movie takes all of these elements and created a truly laugh out loud movie, with a fun story, and some heartwarming moments. It is an A+ family movie.

Margot Robbie and director David Ayer are back together, the last time this happened, the world received ‘Suicide Squad‘. The next venture is even more of a daunting task, and that is ‘Gotham City Sirens‘. I’ll assume that not everyone eats, sleeps and breathes DC comics and I’ll slow it down. DC is the comic book world I prefer to live in, I like dark, deep, broody, melancholy atmospheres, and I’m not entirely certain the sun ever hits the center of Gotham City, but I’m ok with that. Marvel is too bright and flashy and, just not me.

Movie Quotes

Interrogator: I am instructed to inform you that you have been convicted by special tribunal and that unless you are ready to offer your cooperation you are to be executed. Do you understand what I'm telling you?Evey Hammond: Yes.Interrogator: Are you ready to cooperate?Evey Hammond: No.Interrogator: Very well. Escort Ms. Hammond back to her cell. Arrange a detail of six men and take her out behind the chemical shed and shoot her.Guard: It's time.Evey Hammond: I'm ready.Guard: Look all they want is one little piece of information, just give them something, anything.Evey Hammond: Thank you, but I'd rather die behind the chemical sheds.Guard: Then you have no fear any more. You're completely free.V for Vendetta (2005) The Movie Quotes